The National Book Critics Circle invites its members to make submissions for the 2010 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. The award is given each year in honor of Nona Balakian, a founding member of the National Book Critics Circle, where she served as the board's first secretary. The eminent critic and longtime editor at the New York Times Book Review also served on the Pulitzer Prize committee, the Board of Directors of PEN, and the Authors Guild board, was the author of Critical Encounters: Essays (1978), and co- wrote The Creative Present (1969) with Charles Simmons. She died in 1991.

Submission Requirements: You must be a member of the NBCC to be considered. If you are not a member, you can join online anytime before December 31, 2010, in order to be eligible for the award. All submitted reviews must have been published in 2010.

Submission Procedures: Submissions must be postmarked no later than Thursday, December 31, 2010. Send up to five book reviews (all published in 2010) of no more than 5,000 words collectively, to each of the board members below. Include a brief cover letter listing the title and word count of each piece submitted. The total word count for the submissions must not exceed 5,000, on pain of the entire submission being disqualified from consideration for the award.